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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. band — a ring
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. field — for sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. club — a group
  13. field — farmland
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — a subject
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rock — a stone
  20. band — a music group
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bark — to shout
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com